Alternate Haven
by Cresentius
Summary: The Order had made a plan to escape their universe together. Instead it was just Harry and a young Tom Riddle. Can they make a family work in era of the founders or will it all be for nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. hi. I own nothing. It is all very sad. Anyway I hope you enjoy this. Hopefully I can manage to finish it.**

**Prolog**

Harry kneeled touching the tombstones of each of his friends and surrogate family members one by one.

There was a time when he had thought that nothing would hurt as much as when he had lost his god father.

He'd been wrong, very wrong.

They had been losing and they all knew it. The only thing that had kept them going had been Luna, loony loopy Luna Lovegood.

She'd found a way out for them. Alternate universes.

It may have been a bit farfetched but in the end she'd made it work on paper. But Harry James Potter was all that was left to see if it would work for real and he didn't have much time left.

He's thrown up the strongest barrier that he knew as the death eaters had surrounded him. He could still see them shifting outside of the glowing dome. It didn't matter though. If this worked then he would be long gone when the barrier fell and if it didn't then he would be dead before they could reach him.

First he had to remove the horcrux from inside of him. According to the text they'd found he'd never be able to complete the ritual with the taint in his magic.

Harry's voice was strong and sure as he read off the massive incantation and the last word echoed out in the grave yard his screaming followed after it.

White hot pain burst from his scar and tore through the rest of him in horrible waves. It was like nothing he had ever felt before in his life. Darkness came crashing down on his mind but still he fought it back with as much strength as he could. Something inside of him ripped and tore. His magic screamed and lashed out around him.

When he next became aware of the real world he was curled up on the wet dirt. His stomach heaved and the minimal contents of it came up. Every muscle ached and every move was agony, but he didn't have the luxury of recovery time.

He rarely ever did.

He looked around franticly and found him laying there. A little boy, no more then five years old was unconscious near his left hip.

Tom Riddle. A small and innocent Tom Riddle.

There had been a time when he and Hermione had argued about this moment. A time when he had said he would kill this child no matter what she said, but now Tom Riddle was all that he had.

He picked up the boys tiny body and laid him in the middle of the rune circle that he'd drawn in his own blood, and then stepped in next to him.

As he uttered the first part of the spell the Dark lord appeared with blazing red eyes and began to fire spell after spell at the barrier.

It shuddered as visible cracks formed in the dome. Lights flashed and with one well placed killing curse it shattered and rained down like fine shards of glass.

It didn't matter though, because the pair were already gone leaving behind nothing but perfectly round scorch mark on the cold earth.


	2. Family based on lies

**A.N. I still own nothing.**

**Chapter one: Family based on lies**

The new universe in which Harry awoke was filled with small mercies. At least more of them then he would have ever been granted in his old one.

For example, when he'd first opened his eyes he'd realized that they had appeared in the middle of a forest instead of in a town where he would have had to answer a lot of awkward question.

Secondly, Tom was still asleep which was great because according to Hermione he only had memories up until his fourth birthday, and he would have most likely panicked if h had woken up alone with a stranger instead of in is orphanage.

As is it would be difficult enough explaining that they'd gone back in time to around the Hogwarts era. They'd decided on that timeline because they would be able to be free in a place that they had no connection to, but how was he suppose to explain that to a four year old.

Last but not least was the fact that all of his things had made the jump with him. They hadn't been sure that they would.

For all they knew they could have appeared naked.

But a quick check proved that everything was in place. They had planned what was important to take with them and what wasn't back when there had still been a good few of them. Back before Neville died.

He now had a chest filled with there total combined back accounts. Back in his own time it had been the largest amount of money amassed outside of Gringotts. Here before inflation should have started it should prove to be worth even more.

They'd packed every book they could find, both dark and light, because there had been no telling what would be different about this universe.

Then of course they packed the survival gear, food, and water. A tent was added just in case they needed to walk a long ways to the nearest town.

With a soft moan he pushed himself off of his cushion of moss and unshrunk his trunk. Twenty minutes of rummaging later he pulled on a simple tunic and a pair of pants. After all it would have looked strange for them to walk around in modern clothes.

Looking down at Tom, who was lying curled into a ball with his thumb in his mouth, harry couldn't help but laugh out loud. Who would have thought that a dark lord could be so cute?

No he had to stop thinking of him that way. This wasn't Voldemort. This was a little boy. This was his new son. Tom Reignia was his name now.

They'd all agreed to use their first names, but to come up with new last names. They were supposed to start new lives, and he and Tom would do just that.

"Sorry Tom but I need to get you dressed real quickly." Harry struggled to get Tom's new shirt over his head. It certainly wasn't easy. Of course it could have been worse.

Tom could have woken up in the middle and started screaming. Now there would be an interesting way to start their relationship.

Once Tom was completely dressed Harry cradled him against his shoulder. He was way too light and boney, something Harry had a lot of personal experience with, but that would end now. If he had anything to do with it Tom would never go hungry again.

He flipped his wrist to release his wand from its holster.

"Point me, magical inn." The wand twirled in the air for a few moments before pointing firmly to the east, or at least what he thought was the east.

"Alright Tom, here we go. Hopefully things will turn out for the best and we can have some peace for once."

As they walked Harry murmured softly at Tom about what needed to be done and about things that could go wrong. It was soothing for him to have someone else to talk to and he wondered idly if Tom was going to like him as a father.

He hadn't ever been responsible for a kid before, which was amazing considering how the war had turned out.

And as he stepped out of the trees and into what looked like a relatively big town he wondered just how badly he could possible go wrong.

"Stop that! Everything is going to be fine. I can't do any worse then the orphanage."

In the town, people milled about doing work and he had to find a disserted corner to make sure that it was the right place. It didn't look like there were any wizards there. In fact he though everyone looked decidedly normal.

Well as normal as a medieval town could look.

"Nope it's the right place alright. I guess I should judge a book by its cover should I Tom."

"You there, behind those boxes, show yourself." A huge armor clad man came charging in their direction and Harry couldn't suppress a flinch.

"So much for not drawing attention to ourselves." He muttered softly to himself.

"I said come out where I can see you!"

"Alright. No need to shout." Harry stepped forward with his free hand raised in front of him.

"What is your business here, and from where do you hail?" The man, a knight Harry supposed, lowered his sword slightly at the sight of Tom but still remained on guard.

"I am Harry Reignia, and this is my son Tom. We are just travelers looking for an inn. You wouldn't happen to know of one would you?"

The knight sheathed his blade and stepped over to them, looking pityingly on the two of them.

"Stopped by some bandits on the roadway were you?"

Harry frowned. He hadn't thought they looked that bad, but it sounded like a good enough stories.

"Yes, but luckily we got away with at least some of our money. Hopefully enough for a room." He looked down at the ground hoping that the man would buy it. He never had been very good at lying. Luna had always teased him about it.

"The inn is right over here. I'll show you there. How long have you been walking. That boy looks dead tired."

"Yeah he is. It's been a while."

The knight left them in front of a big two story building and as he stepped inside he felt the telltale rush of magic come over him. Several muggles were sitting around and drink in spite of it being around noon but the bartender was discretely cleaning the dishes with magic. Not enough of it to alert the muggles but enough that Harry caught it.

"Excuse me bartender. I need a room for me and my son tonight." He swept out his hand just enough for the bartender to be able to see his wand holster.

The man smiled with crooked yellow teeth and winked at him humorously.

"Sure thing mister. Right this way." Harry sighed deeply in relief. He'd been right. This universe was filled with small mercies.

Tom Riddle had slept peacefully for the first time he could remember. He just couldn't be happier then he was at that moment with the nice warm soft blanket and the nice fluffy bed that smelled musty and like the cherries he'd stolen from the gorsier that one time.

He rolled over as a thought entered and stuck in his mind.

His bed at the orphanage wasn't any of those things.

Panic filled him. He didn't know where he was. Had he been kidnapped? The caretaker had always said that bad little boys and girls got taken away, but he'd long since decided that that was all just a story.

What if it was true?

He wanted to cover himself with the blanket and hide but he'd learned that that didn't work. He had been sneaky. So he opened his eyes just a little and looked around him.

It defiantly wasn't the orphanage.

The wood ceiling was dark wood instead of the pale worn white paint. Light filtered in through the sole window and a fireplace full of softly dying embers was across the room.

But what really caught his attention was the shadowy figure of a man seated in the chair before that fire place.

He watched as the light shifted and fell onto the man's face and his breath caught in his throat. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

The man looked just like him. His pitch black hair, the pale skin, the shape of his eyes.

No! He couldn't do this. He was too old to still dream of family coming for him. Only the new orphans did that, and never for long.

It was all just a coincidence or a trick!

"How are you feeling?" Tom jumped and had to catch himself before he scurried under the bed. He couldn't show any weakness.

"Tom. You're not hurt are you?" He flinched at hearing his name from this stranger. He'd said it differently then anyone ever had. The anger and pity were missing, and it was soft.

"Tom?"

"Who are you? Where are we?" He tried to steady his voice but he could still hear the slight shakiness in it. That meant that the stranger probably could too.

"I'm Harry Reignia. I'm your father Tom." Tom felt his eyes widen. This was cruel. He didn't deserve this. He didn't know how the others had made this happen but they had crossed a line.

He forced his fiercest scowl even as a small bud of hope took root in his chest.

"Liar! My father's name was Tom Riddle."

"No Tom," Harry took a deep breath. "Your mother just wanted him to be your father."

Tom frowned. He hadn't been expecting that. Why would someone insult themselves, especially when he could have made up anything that he wanted?

"Explain." He demanded harshly.

"Your mother and I were married, when she met Tom Riddle. Our marriage had been arranged when we were children, and she'd never really been happy. Then Tom came in with a handsome face and a smooth tongue. It was partially my fault. I could have been a better husband, but I was young and stupid."

He sighed and turned his head so that Tom had to strain his neck to see his face.

"She was two months pregnant when she ran off with him. I never stopped searching for you and your mother. You **have** to believe that Tom. When I saw you at that orphanage I nearly died. You should never have even set foot in a place like that. Not you. I took you while you were sleeping that night. I just couldn't let you stay there another day."

Tom stared dumbfounded at Harry. What should he do? This didn't seem like a trick. The orphans weren't smart enough to come up with a story like that and even if they were, they didn't know enough about his to pull it off.

Could this man be his father?

"Prove it!" He hadn't thought before he spoke. What if this was his father and he didn't want a rude child.

"_Know that we share a serpent's tongue, my son."_

Tom's eyes widened to there fullest. He could talk to snakes. No one else could but him. Harry was his **father**. He let that sink in slowly and glanced around the room. Anywhere but at his Harry… his **father.**

"Where are we? Is this where we live?" It didn't look like it. There was an open trunk at the foot of the bed. If this was their home then why would Harry live out of a trunk?

He caught Harry's flinch out of the corner of hi eye.

"Yeah…about that. There something we should talk about first." Tom frowned. That wasn't a good sign.

"I guess I'll just say it. Tom, magic is real." His mind went blank, he'd obviously heard wrong.

"What?"

Harry drew a slender stick out of his sleeve and then flicked it in the air. Tom jumped back against the wall with a strangled cry as the pot of flowers on the table shifted into a massive black snake.

"It's easier for me to show you before I tell you. You see Tom there is a society hidden away from the rest of the world, filled with people who can practice magic, wizards and witches, as well as magical creatures, like werewolves and goblins. You Tom are a wizard, just as I am and just as your mother was a witch. Think back was there ever a time when something unexplainable happened when you were scared or upset?"

Tom nodded. That was why they hated him, why they called him a freak. But he wasn't. He was something better. Better then them and better then teachers and better then their taunts and nicknames.

He was a wizard, just like his father. He had power.

"Are you alright Tom? I know it must come as a bit of a shock."

Tom focused hard on the snake and didn't answer. He pictured it as one of the king cobras they had read about in school. He willed it change with all of his might.

It didn't budge. He let out a frustrated sigh, and then eyed the wand lying innocently in his father's hand. "Will you teach me?"

Harry smiled, his whole face lighting up. "Of course. You are my son after all."

"But that's not all Tom. You see, a war broke out amongst the wizarding population and a man claiming the title of dark lord rose to power. There are bad wizards in this world just as there are bad normal people. In the end, I was the only one of our family left, so I used an ancient magic and I sent us back in time. We're staying at an inn in medieval England. I know that it's hard to believe, but it was the only way to keep us safe. We can be happy here, I promise you, son."

Tom found that it was easier to believe then it probably should have been, but if his father could change a flowerpot into a snake then why wouldn't he be able to take them into the past. It just showed how powerful Harry was, and how powerful he would become.

Excited he rushed to the window and looked out at the village with a sense of wonder he hadn't felt for so long.

It was all the truth. His father had come for him.

"What do we do now?" He smiled up at his father, and he smiled right back, before carefully lifting him into his arms.

"First we need to find a wizarding community. Then we can build our new home." Tom's mood darkened slightly as he remembered reading about the Salem witch trails in the library.

"Won't they try to hurt us if they find out we can do magic?" He looked up at his father with worried eyes. He didn't want to lose him now that he had found him.

Harry just winked playfully at him.

"No worries Tom. They can't kill a fully trained wizard and I won't let them hurt you. But you're right, they would try, so keep our magic a secret unless I tell you it's alright."

Tom nodded. No normal person could hurt his father.

Harry smiled to himself and had to suppress a loud bubble of laughter at the sight of Tom with food all over his face.

He looked to cute and so utterly absurd that he just couldn't stand it.

It was also good to see the little boy eating. He was way too skinny for his age. The lunch he'd bought from the bar was being put to good use.

That of course was something else all together. He has handed the man a knut and he had stared at him in awe. Ever since then the man had insisted in calling Harry, "Your Lordship."

Tom seemed to really enjoy it but for Harry it got old rather fast.

He needed to get to a bank and to get some smaller currency. Luckily the barkeep had agreed to let them use his floo to get to Diagon Alley, which was mercifully already built and bustling.

"Are you almost ready to go, Tom? We have a long day ahead of us."

The little boy nodded and used his sleeve to wipe his mouth. He held onto his new son tightly as they stepped into the fire place and out the other side with more grace then he'd ever managed before.


	3. Distant family distrust

**Chapter 2**

Surprisingly they arrived in a pub that wasn't the one he remembered. Well it was surprising to Harry but he supposed it would have been odd if the leaky cauldron was a thousand years old.

It actually made him feel good, not having to relive all of the memories that were attached to the old bar.

In his arms Tom recovered from the new method of travel quickly, and instantly began craning his neck to see everything while trying to seem dignified, and failing miserably.

His son frowned at the dingy bar. "Father, is this where we're going?"

He almost burst out laughing at the tone of disbelief in his son's voice.

"No Tom. We aren't there yet. This is a building that acts as a gateway from the wizarding world and the normal one. No muggles can enter here unless a wizard shows them the way."

Tom nodded soaking up the information like a sponge. "What's a muggle?"

Harry explained as they walked up to the bar and fielded more questions as he made his way to the back with instructions on how to get into the ally. Where once a brick wall had stood was now a simple wooden door that tugged at his magic before opening on its own.

Harry's heart swelled and he held Tom closer to his shoulder as he watched the wonder and awe in his eyes. Tom's head swirled in every direction trying to catch every color and movement around him.

"Tom, welcome to the wizarding world." Tom didn't answer for a long time still too absorbed with what was happening around him.

"I want to see everything." He whispered as if afraid to make Harry angry. Harry just held him tighter.

"Don't worry, my son. You will." The bank loomed before them completely unchanged and Harry smiled at the familiarity. He explained to Tom about the goblins under his breath well aware of the echo and the creature's heightened hearing abilities.

They stood in line for a number minutes in which his son tried to examine the people around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the man standing behind them wave at Tom and turned to look at him while his instincts screamed for him to draw his wand and defend his son.

"Pardon me. It's just that he seems so excited. Are you muggle born?" harry looked the man up and down and forced the cold stare to recede.

"No, we've just moved to this country. My son is not yet used to the crowds outside of our home." Tom caught on quickly and offered his support.

"Father, is it going to be this loud here all the time?" The man smiled.

"Actually, it's rather calm today. But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lord Godrick Gryffindor. And you are?" He asked Tom. But it was Harry who answered.

"**I **am Lord Harry Reignia and this is my son Tom. You'll have to excuse us now however it appears that it is our turn." He nodded curtly before stepping up to the counter.

The goblin teller was visibly displeased at being force to get a separate room but it only took a few moments to set everything up.

The teller then went to retrieve a more senior bank attendant which left Harry and Tom blissfully alone. Harry felt a hint of glee bubbling to the surface and he chuckled slightly making a very confused Tom look up from at him.

"Father, what's so funny?" Harry smiled.

"Tom we are a very wealthy family and I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they find out." Tom blinked up at him but didn't get his ask his question as a goblin entered the room.

"Alright mister…?"

"Lord Harry Reignia and my son Tom." The goblin raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I've never heard of that particular family." Harry smiled pleasantly at the glare that was being directed at him and set his hand on Tom's shoulder when he felt his son stiffen in anger.

"No, I doubt you would have. You see we've recently moved from a small country in the east and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to ensure the safety of our money." The goblin leaned forward slightly.

"So you are here to start an account?" Harry nodded.

"Very well. We will need to collect an blood sample for the inheritance potion. That will tell us if you have any blood ties to any otherfamily as well as verify any of your ancestors that seek to claim an inheritance."

"Alright you do that." Luckily Hermione had known about this and had found a potion that would allow him to fuse his and Tom's bloodlines. Now he and Tom had both changed so that they would be father and son by blood. It hadn't taken much to slip it into Tom's juice that morning considering that it tasted like cinnamon and had no side effects. This was actually perfect because now Tom would never know that he had lied.

And that thought had certainly crossed Tom's mind. The penetrating stare that was being leveled at his head was proof enough of that.

The goblin, whom they found out was named Traphook, pricked both of their fingers and placed both into separate bowls of potion. They turned an identical shade of neon green.

"Alright. You are definitely father and son." Tom sighed heavily and Harry tilted his head to the side faking confusion.

"I know that already." Traphook just shrugged and dipped a quill into Harry's bowl.

It started to write the second that it hit the scroll and frowned nervously. He and Luna had discussed this and they had agreed that at this point in the past no matches would come up and yet the pen was definitely writing down a name.

That was when his stomach lurched violently. Tom had Slytherin blood and now so did he. Gryfindor had been in the lobby and that meant that somewhere out there Salazar Slytherin was too.

Sure enough that was the name that was written. The goblin's eyebrows almost popped off of his head and Tom. Well Tom couldn't see over the table so he didn't react at all.

"It would appear that you are a descendant of another one of our customers, the Lord Slytherin. He will of course need to be informed of this." Harry thought fast.

"Is there any way to avoid that?" Traphook came out of his shock.

"Excuse me?"

"Is there any way that we may continue without informing him?" Tom looked up at his suspiciously and Harry wondered briefly if Tom and Traphook could be related and if so if a glare was hereditary.

"Of course we do not need to inform him to open your account however he will need to be informed that a person capable of claiming the title of his heir has come forward, but let us move forward. How much money would you like to deposit?"

It became very clear that he wasn't going to win against Traphook so he could only hope that Slytherin wouldn't be interested in meeting them.

"I would like to deposit 10,075,163 gallons please." Traphook fell off his high chair. The war had taken a toll on all of there accounts but as a group they had still had a decent fortune. Here of course he was ridiculously rich.

"Excuse me. I believe that you have made some mistake." The goblin's voice was squeaky and breathy all of a sudden.

"No. That is how much I wish to deposit. Is there a problem?"

After that point the goblins treated him and Tom like kings and it only took minutes to store the money in vault 159. He made sure that Tom was registered as his heir and then they left to start their day of shopping.

Tom yawned deeply behind his hand. He and his father had been to every store in the alley almost.

Don't get him wrong though. It had all been amazing. Everything had power and was weird and new. This was where he belonged and he had his father, his real father as proof of that.

He was a bit upset at his mother though. For years he had thought of her as wonderful woman. He'd hoped there had just been some accident and that she had died before she could contact his father, but now.

Now she was the reason that he had been raised in that orphanage instead of with his father where he belonged. It had been her and that muggle she'd run off with, and to add insult to injury she'd named him after that man. Where had he been when she had died alone?

"Tom is something bothering you?" Harry picked him up and kept walking.

"No. I'm just a little tired. When do you think the house will be done?" Their first stop of the day had been a place that built buildings. He'd paid close attention to everything the adults did just incase he needed to know about it in the future.

"It's actually called a manor Tom, not that we need a manor with just the two of us. It should be ready in about a week. I paid the contractor extra to get it done in half the time. Until then, we're going to be living in the pub."

Tom nodded and yawned again before he could stop himself.

"Hold on Tom. We only have one more store to go too and I think that you're going to like it." Harry winked at him for some reason.

Harry was always doing things that he didn't understand. He always smiled and laughed. He was never mean like the other adults that Tom knew. And the only time Harry had been close to mad was when he was talking to that man in the bank. It was weird because Tom had thought the man was nice, a lot like his dad. Then there was the bank incident. Tom didn't understand why Harry didn't want their relative to know about them.

He'd always thought that having a family was a great thing.

When he focused back on reality he realized that his father had taken him into a store filled with cages that were filled with animals, a pet store.

A strange pet store. He'd never seen most of these animals before.

"Tom, don't you want to pick out a pet?" Tom jumped to attention. He'd always wanted a pet. The orphanage had had a bunny but no one would let him play with it.

"What can I get?"

"Anything you want." His dad put him down and he took off through the isles with Harry following behind. He didn't want a dog or a cat. They weren't special enough and now that he could have a pet he wanted it to be the best.

At the back of the store a man stood to the side of a bunch of wooden boxes. Tom paid him no mind, secure it the fact that his father would watch over him and stepped on the stool to look at what as inside the nearest box.

Snakes. Inside two snakes were curled into big coils. Each one was as long as he was tall and Tom had never seen anything as beautiful as them.

"_Hello. My name's Tom. What are your names?_" The man stiffened and looked at him in shock, but Tom only had eyes for the snakes both of which had uncoiled and were looking up at him now.

_"My, my. It's not everyday you sssee a young ssspeaker. I am Rassi and this is my sssister Sssarif. What brings the young master to such a place?"_ Tom felt his father come up behind him and look in the box.

"_My father is allowing me to find a companion."_ Sarif rose until she and Tom's eyes were level.

"_Then you should choose us Ssspeaker. There isss no better snakes in this place."_ Tom looked up at his father unsure if he would allow two snakes in his new home. He'd been lucky to get permission for one pet much less two.

Harry just smiled and leaned forward. _"I expect you two to be well behaved."_ The snakes both bobbed their heads in acknowledgement and the man stiffened even more.

"_Alright, you all stay here and I'll get the clerk to collect the necessary supplies." _When Harry stepped away the man came over and Tom backed up nervously.

"Excused me child, but I couldn't help but overhear. You've very good taste in companions." Tom shifted. He could help but wonder how this man had overheard when they'd been talking snake.

"I just wanted to know what you and your father's names are." Tom wished that Harry would come back and tell him what to do. He shouldn't be talking to strangers alone.

The man's lips curved into a sort of smile that looked like it hurt his face. "Come now. What harm could it do to tell me your name? Your father would not approve of you being rude."

"That depends on to whom he's speaking." Tom sighed in relief as Harry forced the man to rise by standing between him and the man. In the background the clerk rushed to get the snakes ready to go.

"Is there any particular reason that you choose to speak to my son?" The man looked Harry in the eyes without flinching.

"Forgive me. I was merely asking for you and your son's name."

"Then you should have asked me instead of waiting until I was away." Tom took note of the identical stance the two men were taking and the way the man was looking at his father as if he were looking for something.

"Once again, I apologize. May I ask your name?" The clerk motioned that he was done and Harry slipped some money into his hands before he grabbed all of the shrunken containers and took Tom's hand.

"No. You may not. Come on son." His father rushed out of the store and up to their room and they spent the rest of the night getting to know their new friends over tea for the humans and mice for the snakes.

Salazar hissed in anger and threw the nearest thing he could reach across the room where it crashed loudly into a glass mirror.

The other occupants of the room looked up in shock. Their friend was the calm one. He never acted like this.

"Are you alright Salazar?" Rowena put her hand on his shoulder only to have him jerk away and give a frustrated groan as he threw himself into one of the wooden chairs.

"I was called to the bank today." He sighed deeply running a hand through his black hair.

"They informed me that a man had come in and created an account." The others just looked at him in confusion.

"Did this man do something?" Godrick asked.

"The blood test showed that he was my son, my heir." They all stiffened in surprise. They'd never known Salazar to take any interest in women much less have some kind of affair.

"How is that possible, Sal?" He looked away his cheeks burning.

"In my youth I had a bit of a fling with a beautifully young woman I met in the forest. She was gone in the morning and I never saw her again. It's the only possible way." He rubbed his hands together. "He has a son. I caught them talking to the snakes in the pet shop. He is truly my son and the child is truly my grandchild."

Godrick's eyes widened. "I met him."

They all turned to him. "What do you mean?" Salazar said skeptically.

"I met him as I was standing in the line at the bank today. I commented that his son was very excited, and he seemed to get upset. He acted like I was trying to take the boy away."

"He was like that with me as well. Did he say his name? He wouldn't say and the bank couldn't give out the information."

"Lord Harry Reignia. He said he and his son Tom had just moved from another country. The kid looked like he had never been out of their manor before." Salazar whispered the names under his breath and ran through everything that had happened between them.

"He was like that with me as well. I admit I shouldn't have spoken to his son before introducing myself but he was more aggressive then he needed to be."

"Maybe he was just overprotective of the boy, Tom was it?" Helga suggested.

"No. He was acting as if I had been trying to hurt the boy."

"Maybe he thought that you were. He did just move here. Maybe he was fleeing something. It wouldn't be that unusual especially with war brewing in the east." Salazar frowned and clenched his fists at the thought of his son being in danger. What had the boy been through already that would cause him to react that way? What had his grandson been through that would make him shy away from someone as he had when they'd talked in the store.

He would find out and those responsible would pay.

Pay for threatening what belonged to him, **his** son and **his** grandchild.

He smiled. That had a very nice ring to it.


End file.
